Chile court orders poet Pablo Neruda's remains returnedFebruary 4, 2016 - 16:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A Chilean court on Wednesday, February 3 ordered poet Pablo Neruda's remains be returned to his tomb, three years after they were exhumed to determine whether the Nobel laureate was assassinated, according to AFP. Neruda died in 1973, just days after General Augusto Pinochet seized power. Doubts have surrounded the cause of Neruda's death since his former driver claimed the poet was given a mysterious injection in his chest at the Santiago clinic where he was being treated for prostate cancer. Neruda, who despite his illness had been planning to leave for Mexico to lead the opposition to Pinochet's regime, died hours after the injection. He was 69. The cause of death was given as advanced prostate cancer, but in 2013 officials exhumed his body to determine whether he had been poisoned. Chile's forensic medicine service ruled that "no relevant chemical agents" could be linked to his death. But last May forensic scientists at the University of Murcia in Spain identified a massive Staphylococcus aureus infection in Neruda's remains, rekindling his family's suspicions. The Chilean interior ministry said the strain of bacteria does not occur naturally and may have been grown in a lab. Further test results are due next month. With the three-year-old investigation ongoing, Judge Mario Carroza ruled it was time to return Neruda's remains from the forensic medical service in Santiago to his tomb at his former home in Isla Negra, on the central coast. The remains will be returned on April 26. The judge ordered forensic analysts to keep bone samples on hand for further tests. Pinochet, who ousted Socialist president Salvador Allende in a coup, installed a brutal regime that killed some 3,200 opponents over 17 years. Related links: Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 11 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. Second round of Armenia-Azerbaijan talks set for May 11 The second round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take place on May 11. About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. |